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Cognitive science has demonstrated that we construct knowledge about the world by abstracting patterns from routinely encountered experiences and storing them as semantic memories. This preregistered study tested the hypothesis that caregiving‐related early adversities (crEAs) shape affective semantic memories to reflect the content of those adverse interpersonal‐affective experiences. We also tested the hypothesis that because affective semantic memories may continue to evolve in response to later‐occurring positive experiences, child‐perceived attachment security will inform their content. The sample comprised 160 children (ages 6–12 at Visit 1; 87F/73 M), 66% of whom experienced crEAs (n = 105). At Visit 1, crEA exposure prior to study enrollment was operationalized as parental‐reports endorsing a history of crEAs (abuse/neglect, permanent/significant parent‐child separation); while child‐reports assessed concurrent attachment security. A false memory task was administered online ∼2.5 years later (Visit 2) to probe the content of affective semantic memories–specifically attachment schemas. Results showed that crEA exposure (vs. no exposure) was associated with a higher likelihood of falsely endorsing insecure (vs. secure) schema scenes. Attachment security moderated the association between crEA exposure and insecure schema‐based false recognition. Findings suggest that interpersonal‐affective semantic schemas include representations of parent‐child interactions that may capture the quality of one's own attachment experiences and that these representations shape how children remember attachment‐relevant narrative events. Findings are also consistent with the hypothesis that these affective semantic memories can be modified by later experiences. Moving forward, the approach taken in this study provides a means of operationalizing Bowlby's notion of internal working models within a cognitive neuroscience framework. Research Highlights: Affective semantic memories representing insecure schema knowledge (child needs + needs‐not‐met) may be more salient, elaborated, and persistent among youths exposed to early caregiving adversity.All youths, irrespective of early caregiving adversity exposure, may possess affective semantic memories that represent knowledge of secure schemas (child needs + needs‐met).Establishing secure relationships with parents following early‐occurring caregiving adversity may attenuate the expression of insecure semantic memories, suggesting potential malleability.Affective semantic memories include schema representations of parent‐child interactions that may capture the quality of one's own attachment experiences and shape how youths remember attachment‐relevant events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress can powerfully influence episodic memory, often enhancing memory encoding for emotionally salient information. These stress-induced memory enhancements stand at odds with demonstrations that stress and the stress-related hormone cortisol can negatively affect the hippocampus, a brain region important for episodic memory encoding. To resolve this apparent conflict and determine whether and how the hippocampus supports memory encoding under cortisol, we combined behavioral assays of associative memory, high-resolution fMRI, and pharmacological manipulation of cortisol in a within-participant, double-blinded procedure (in both sexes). Behaviorally, hydrocortisone promoted the encoding of subjectively arousing, positive associative memories. Neurally, hydrocortisone led to enhanced functional connectivity between hippocampal subregions, which predicted subsequent memory enhancements for emotional associations. Cortisol also modified the relationship between hippocampal representations and associative memory: whereas hippocampal signatures of distinctiveness predicted memory under placebo, relative integration predicted memory under cortisol. Together, these data provide novel evidence that the human hippocampus contains the necessary machinery to support emotional associative memory enhancements under cortisol.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our daily lives are filled with stressful events, which powerfully shape the way we form episodic memories. For example, stress and stress-related hormones can enhance our memory for emotional events. However, the mechanisms underlying these memory benefits are unclear. In the current study, we combined functional neuroimaging, behavioral tests of memory, and double-blind, placebo-controlled hydrocortisone administration to uncover the effects of the stress-related hormone cortisol on the function of the human hippocampus, a brain region important for episodic memory. We identified novel ways in which cortisol can enhance hippocampal function to promote emotional memories, highlighting the adaptive role of cortisol in shaping memory formation.

• Maternal separation increased sensitivity to frustration in adult males but not females. • Maternal separation did not affect frustration during adolescence. • Dorsal hippocampus NMDA receptor composition was altered in the susceptible animals. • This molecular shift possibly signals a stronger memory of the devaluation experience. • Strong emotional memories might hinder the ability to cope with frustration. Early life stress may lead to lifelong impairments in psychophysiological functions, including emotional and reward systems. Unpredicted decrease in reward magnitude generates a negative emotional state (frustration) that may be involved with susceptibility to psychiatric disorders. We evaluated, in adolescents and adult rats of both sexes, whether maternal separation (MS) alters the ability to cope with an unexpected reduction of reward later in life. Litters of Wistar rats were divided into controls (non handled − NH) or subjected to MS. Animals were trained to find sugary cereal pellets; later the amount was reduced. Increased latency to reach the reward-associated area indicates higher inability to regulate frustration. The dorsal hippocampus (dHC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) were evaluated for protein levels of NMDA receptor subunits (GluN2A/GluN2B), synaptophysin, PSD95, SNAP-25 and CRF1. We found that adult MS males had greater vulnerability to reward reduction, together with decreased GluN2A and increased GluN2B immunocontent in the dHC. MS females and adolescents did not differ from controls. We concluded that MS enhances the response to frustration in adult males. The change in the ratio of GluN2A and GluN2B subunits in dHC could be related to a stronger, more difficult to update memory of the aversive experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gluta mater gic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors play vital roles in memory formation. Changes in the activity of these receptors influence memory processes. Ketamine is a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist drug with promising mood-altering and pain-reducing effects in low doses. These effects are believed to be related to altered serotonergic transmission. Methods: The present study investigated the involvement of the serotonergic system in low-dose ketamine administrations' effects on memory acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval processes. Sixty-four male BALB/c mice were used in this experiment and separated into 8t groups. Mice were treated subchronically with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, and a serotonin depletion agent, p-chlorophenylalanine (pCPA). A serotonin antagonist, methiothepin, and ketamine were acutely administered 60 minutes before or after the behavioral tests. A passive avoidance (PA) test measured emotional memory acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval processes. Hippocampi malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were analyzed, and histopathological examinations were performed. Results: Ketamine alone did not significantly affect memory encoding processes in the PA test, while the ketamine-- fluoxetine combination disrupted memory consolidation. Fluoxetine negatively affected the memory acquisition process, which was normalized during the consolidation and retrieval trials. Drug applications did not significantly alter hippocampal MDA levels. In all ketamine-applied groups, histopathologic alterations were evident. Conclusion: Low-dose ketamine administration induces neurodegeneration, and it also impairs memory functions when combined with fluoxetine, indicating increased serotonergic transmission may be involved in the memory-impairing and neurotoxic effects of ketamine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research suggests that implicit automatic emotion regulation relies on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). However, most of the human studies supporting this hypothesis have been correlational in nature. In the current study, we examine how changes in mPFC-left amygdala functional connectivity relate to emotional memory biases. In a randomized clinical trial examining the effects of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback on brain mechanisms of emotion regulation, we randomly assigned participants to increase or decrease heart rate oscillations while receiving biofeedback. After several weeks of daily biofeedback sessions, younger and older participants completed an emotional picture memory task involving encoding, recall, and recognition phases as an additional measure in this clinical trial. Participants assigned to increase HRV (Osc+) (n = 84) showed a relatively higher rate of false alarms for positive than negative images than participants assigned to decrease HRV (Osc-) (n = 81). Osc+ participants also recalled relatively more positive compared with negative items than Osc- participants, but this difference was not significant. However, a summary bias score reflecting positive emotional memory bias across recall and recognition was significantly higher in the Osc+ than Osc- condition. As previously reported, the Osc+ manipulation increased left amygdala-mPFC resting-state functional connectivity significantly more than the Osc- manipulation. This increased functional connectivity significantly mediated the effects of the Osc+ condition on emotional bias. These findings suggest that, by increasing mPFC coordination of emotion-related circuits, daily practice increasing heart rate oscillations can increase implicit emotion regulation.

Background: Trauma-focused treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are effective for many patients. However, relapse may occur when acquired extinction memories fail to generalize beyond treatment contexts. A subgroup of PTSD patients – potentially with substantial exposure to early-life adversity (ELA) – show dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, which results in lower cortisol levels. Glucocorticoids, including cortisol, appear to facilitate strength and generalization of emotional memories.Objective: We describe the protocol of an integrated PTSD study. We investigate (A) associations between HPA-axis dysregulation, ELA, epigenetic markers, and PTSD treatment outcome (observational study); and (B) effects of exogenous glucocorticoids on strength and generalization of extinction memories and associated neural mechanisms [pharmacological intervention study with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)]. The objective is to provide proof of concept that PTSD patients with HPA-axis dysregulation often experienced ELA and may show improved strength and generalization of extinction learning after glucocorticoid administration.Method: The observational study (n = 160 PTSD group, n = 30 control group) assesses ELA, follow-up PTSD symptoms, epigenetic markers, and HPA-axis characteristics (salivary cortisol levels during low-dose dexamethasone suppression test and socially evaluated cold-pressor test). The pharmacological intervention study (n = 80 PTSD group, with and without HPA-axis dysregulation) is a placebo-controlled fMRI study with a crossover design. To investigate strength and generalization of extinction memories, we use a differential fear acquisition, extinction, and extinction recall task with spatial contexts within a virtual environment. Prior to extinction learning, 20 mg hydrocortisone or placebo is administered. During next-day recall, strength of the extinction memory is determined by recovery of skin conductance and pupil dilation differential responding, whereas generalization is assessed by comparing responses between different spatial contexts.Conclusion: The integrated study described in the current protocol paper could inform a personalized treatment approach in which these PTSD patients may receive glucocorticoids as a treatment enhancer in trauma-focused therapies.Trial registration: The research project is registered in the European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials (EudraCT) database, https://eudract.ema.europa.eu/, EudraCT number 2020-000712-30.

Rationale: A growing body of evidence suggests that sleep is critical for the adaptive processing and consolidation of emotional information into long-term memory. Previous research has indicated that emotional components of scenes particularly benefit from sleep in healthy groups, yet sleep-dependent emotional memory processes remain unexplored in clinical cohorts, including those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This line of research is important as it will add to the understanding of how disrupted sleep in OSA contributes to both impaired cognition and emotion dysregulation. Objectives: To test the hypothesis that individuals with OSA will have impaired sleep-dependent memory consolidation, with the greatest impact being on memory for emotional content. Methods: In this study, a group of newly diagnosed patients with OSA (n = 26; 10 female; average age, 42.5 years) and a matched group of healthy control subjects (n = 24; 13 female; average age, 37 years) were enrolled in the study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Participants encoded scenes with negative or neutral foreground objects placed on neutral backgrounds before a night of polysomnographically recorded sleep. In the morning, they completed a recognition test in which old and new scene objects and backgrounds, presented separately and one at a time, were judged as old, new, or similar compared with what had been previously viewed. Results: Patients with OSA had a deficit in recognition memory for the scenes. Overall recognition (the ability to recognize old items as either old or similar) was impaired across all scene elements, both negative and neutral objects and backgrounds, whereas specific recognition (correctly identifying old items as old) was impaired only for negative objects. Across all participants, successful overall recognition correlated positively with sleep efficiency and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, whereas successful specific memory recognition correlated only with REM sleep. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that fragmented sleep and reduced REM sleep, both hallmarks of OSA, are associated with disruptions in general memory impairment and veridical memory for emotional content, which could alter emotional regulation and contribute to comorbid emotional distress in OSA.

Objectives Although research has shown that the replay of encoding-specific gaze patterns during retrieval, known as gaze reinstatement, facilitates memory retrieval, little is known about whether it differentially associates with the negativity preference in memory (defined as enhanced memory for negative stimuli relative to neutral stimuli in this study) among younger and older adults. The present study aims to address this research gap. Methods A total of 33 older adults (16 women; aged 58–69 years, M  = 63.48, SD  = 2.98) and 36 younger adults (10 women; aged 18–26 years, M  = 20.39, SD  = 1.57) completed a remember/know recognition memory task involving negative and neutral pictures. Their eye movements were tracked during both the memory encoding and retrieval phases. Results Younger and older adults had better memory for negative than neutral pictures. Older adults exhibited significantly stronger gaze reinstatement for negative than neutral stimuli, while this difference was nonsignificant in younger adults. Moreover, gaze reinstatement is positively linked to memory performance in both age groups. Discussion The results suggest that gaze reinstatement may play age-differential roles in the negativity preference of memory. Negative valence may enhance gaze reinstatement, which improves subsequent recognition memory, particularly among older adults. The finding contributes to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the negative preference for memory in different age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the connection of memories to emotions as they were transmitted by chroniclers through narratives. Emotional memories played a significant role in the recollection of some brutal events connected to ecclesiastical policies in eastern Saxony and across the Elbe, where the socalled Wends lived. The paper focuses on the interactions of cognition and emotion. It shows that emotional memories were not only rhetorical devices, but also didactic tools in the process of creation of Wendish idolatry as a Christian construct of a socioreligious identity. Certain negative events from the past placed within theological frameworks were intended to provoke hostile emotional responses towards the Wends. Preserving memory on ecclesiastical matters, with faith and obedience as central elements of identification, was an ethical mission of all those in charge of writing history, usually clergymen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: The adrenergic and opioidergic systems play a crucial role in regulating cognitive and non-cognitive behaviors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of CA1 α2-adrenoceptors on the exploratory behaviors induced by morphine. Methods: This assessment was conducted in rats using the elevated plus-maze test based on a test-retest paradigm. Bilateral guide cannulas were stereotaxically implanted in the CA1 regions of rats to allow intra-CA1 α2-adrenoceptors agonist (clonidine) or antagonist (yohimbine) microinjections. Results: Pre-test administration of morphine (6 mg/kg) showed an anxiolytic-like response. The extension of this effect during the retest session, 24h later, indicated impairment of aversive memory. Pre-test microinjection of clonidine (4 µg/rat) induced anxiolytic-like behavior on the test day in the absence or presence of a subthreshold dose of morphine (4 mg/kg) and increased avoidance to the open-arms during the retest session, but it was not significant compared with control group. Pre-test microinjection of yohimbine (4 µg/rat) induced an anxiogenic-like behavior on test day in the absence or presence of an effective dose of morphine (6mg/kg) and increased avoidance to the open-arms during the retest session. Concurrent microinjection of a subthreshold dose of yohimbine (1 μg/rat) with an effective dose of clonidine or with an effective dose of clonidine plus a subthreshold dose of morphine blocked anxiolytic-like behaviors, but did not change avoidance to the open-arms. Conclusion: According to our findings, it appears that CA1 α2-adrenoceptors affect anxiolytic-like effects of morphine, but they do not appear to play a significant role in the morphine-induced memory impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memory control (MC) and emotion regulation (ER) are critical cognitive functions for adapting to life's challenges, drawing significant research attention. Accumulating evidence suggests these processes are interrelated, yet a comprehensive discussion of their interplay remains lacking. We introduce an integrative framework exploring the mutual influence between MC and ER, composed of two interrelated branches: first, MC aids in ER through the retrieval of positive memories, intentional forgetting of undesirable content, and the adaptive updating of memory stores. Second, ER impacts MC by upregulating positivity and downregulating negativity in memories. The framework spotlights the need to harness MC–ER interplay for future research. Potential directions include utilizing MC to amplify ER capabilities, training ER skills to refine MC performance, and modulating the cognitive and neural overlapping of both processes to improve both functions. Delving into the MC–ER nexus advances understanding of the intricate emotion–memory relationship and holds great promise for developing novel behavioral interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While younger adults are more likely to attend to, process, and remember negative relative to positive information, healthy older adults show the opposite pattern. The current study evaluates when, exactly, this positivity shift begins, and how it influences memory performance for positive, negative, and neutral information. Methods: A total of 274 healthy early middle-aged (35-47), late middle-aged (48-59), and older adults (>59) viewed scenes consisting of a negative, positive, or a neutral object placed on a plausible neutral background, and rated each scene for its valence and arousal. After 12 h spanning a night of sleep (n = 137) or a day of wakefulness (n = 137), participants completed an unexpected memory test during which they were shown objects and backgrounds separately and indicated whether the scene component was the "same," "similar," or "new" to what they viewed during the study session. Results and conclusions: We found that both late middle-aged and older adults rated positive and neutral scenes more positively compared to early middle-aged adults. However, only older adults showed better memory for positive objects relative to negative objects, and a greater positive memory trade-off magnitude (i.e., remembering positive objects at the cost of their associated neutral backgrounds) than negative memory trade-off magnitude (i.e., remembering negative objects at the cost of their associated neutral backgrounds). Our findings suggest that while the positivity bias may not emerge in memory until older adulthood, a shift toward positivity in terms of processing may begin in middle age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined direct and indirect causal relations between emotional memory, cognitive conception anxiety, cognitive holding power, and research self-efficacy according to the responses of postgraduate students. The final sample size of the study was (390) postgraduate students. The researcher relied on the descriptive method in the study. They were asked to answer four research measures related to emotional memory, cognitive perception anxiety, cognitive holding power, and research self-efficacy, were prepared by the researchers. The results found a statistically significant positive direct effect of both the first and second orders of cognitive holding power on research selfefficacy. There is a statistically significant positive direct effect of positive emotional memory in the second order of cognitive holding power, as well as a presence of statistically significant positive direct effect of negative emotional memory in cognitive perception anxiety. The results of the study also found a statistically significant negative direct effect of cognitive perception anxiety on both research self-efficacy and firstand second-order cognitive holding power. The results of the study found indirect effects between the study variables, which is the presence of a statistically significant indirect effect of cognitive perception anxiety on research self-efficacy through both (the first and second orders of cognitive holding power). There is also a statistically significant indirect effect of negative emotional memory on both the secondorder of cognitive holding power and research self-efficacy through cognitive conception anxiety. There is also a statistically significant indirect effect of positive emotional memory on research self-efficacy through the second order of cognitive holding power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trauma-focused treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are effective for many patients. However, relapse may occur when acquired extinction memories fail to generalize beyond treatment contexts. A subgroup of PTSD patients – potentially with substantial exposure to early-life adversity (ELA) – show dysregulation of the hypothalamic– pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, which results in lower cortisol levels. Glucocorticoids, including cortisol, appear to facilitate strength and generalization of emotional memories. Objective: We describe the protocol of an integrated PTSD study. We investigate (A) associations between HPA-axis dysregulation, ELA, epigenetic markers, and PTSD treatment outcome (observational study); and (B) effects of exogenous glucocorticoids on strength and generalization of extinction memories and associated neural mechanisms [pharmacological intervention study with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)]. The objective is to provide proof of concept that PTSD patients with HPA-axis dysregulation often experienced ELA and may show improved strength and generalization of extinction learning after glucocorticoid administration. Method: The observational study (n = 160 PTSD group, n = 30 control group) assesses ELA, follow-up PTSD symptoms, epigenetic markers, and HPA-axis characteristics (salivary cortisol levels during low-dose dexamethasone suppression test and socially evaluated cold-pressor test). The pharmacological intervention study (n = 80 PTSD group, with and without HPAaxis dysregulation) is a placebo-controlled fMRI study with a crossover design. To investigate strength and generalization of extinction memories, we use a differential fear acquisition, extinction, and extinction recall task with spatial contexts within a virtual environment. Prior to extinction learning, 20 mg hydrocortisone or placebo is administered. During next-day recall, strength of the extinction memory is determined by recovery of skin conductance and pupil dilation differential responding, whereas generalization is assessed by comparing responses between different spatial contexts. Conclusion: The integrated study described in the current protocol paper could inform a personalized treatment approach in which these PTSD patients may receive glucocorticoids as a treatment enhancer in trauma-focused therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional episodic memory is an important cognitive mechanism that has been extensively studied, however, auditory emotional memory in particular has yet to be thoroughly understood. In addition, sex hormones have been found to affect brain structure and regulate regions of the brain that support higher order cognitive functions. Considering the global usage of oral hormonal contraceptive pills, it is vitally important to investigate the effects of oral contraceptives on executive function, including memory. The aim of the present study was to investigate the extent to which oral contraceptives influence recall for an emotional auditory episodic memory compared to a neutral memory. Participants (N = 90; 45 on an oral contraceptive, 45 naturally cycling) performed a free recall task for an emotional and a neutral auditory story, and their recalls were categorized into gist and detail elements and rated for accuracy. Recall accuracy for an emotional or neutral auditory story was not different between women on oral hormonal contraceptives and women who were naturally cycling, however, both groups of women recalled more information regarding the neutral story compared to the emotional story. These findings inform how the use of hormonal contraceptive pills, combined with high emotional valence, may impact the content and accuracy of recalled episodic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Major Depressive Disorder, characterized by cognitive affective biases, is a considerable public health challenge. Past work has shown that higher depressive symptoms are associated with augmented memory of negative stimuli. In contrast, anxiety symptoms have been associated with overgeneralization of emotional memories. Given the high comorbidity of depression and anxiety, it is critical to understand how cognitive affective biases are differentially associated with clinical symptoms. METHOD: We used continuous measures of depression (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI-II]) and anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI]) to evaluate an adult sample (N = 79; 18-41 years old, 58 female). Emotional memory discrimination and recognition memory were tested using an emotional discrimination task. We applied exploratory factor analysis to questions from the BAI and BDI-II to uncover latent constructs consisting of negative affect, anhedonia, somatic anxiety, and cognitive anxiety. RESULTS: We report evidence that anxious symptoms were associated with impaired recognition of negative items after accounting for age and sex. Our exploratory factor analysis revealed that impaired negative item recognition is largely associated with somatic and cognitive anxiety factors. LIMITATIONS: Interpretations in a mixed pathology sample, especially given collinearity among factors, may be difficult. CONCLUSIONS: We provide evidence that somatic and cognitive anxiety are related to impaired recognition memory for negative stimuli. Future clinical investigations should uncover the neurobiological basis supporting the link between recognition of negative stimuli and somatic/cognitive symptoms of anxiety.

AbstractResearch has shown that memory is influenced by emotion. Several studies demonstrated the effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to modulate emotional memory pursuing clinical and educational aims. Music has been identified as a potential memory modulator, with results differing widely depending on whether the participant had musical training or not. The current study examined the effect of listening to music on musicians’ and non-musicians’ positive (study 1) and negative (study 2) emotional memory, in a group of 163 volunteers, aged 18–40. After the information was encoded, the groups of participants were exposed to arousing music (Symphony No. 70, D major by Joseph Haydn) or a control stimulus (white noise) for three minutes. Then memory was evaluated through free recall and recognition (immediate and deferred measures). Memory performance was compared between musicians (people with five or more years of music education) and non-musicians. Positive and negative images were better recalled than neutral ones, positive images were better recognized than neutral ones however neutral images were better recognized than negative ones. In Study 1, listening to white noise enhanced recall compared to listening to music. In Study 2, listening to arousing music enhanced recall compared to listening to white noise, and this effect was more pronounced in musicians than non-musicians. Our findings suggest that music has a great impact on memory, especially in those with experience in the field, which is reflected in cognitive performance.

Contemplative traditions have long affirmed that compassion and kindness are trainable skills. While research on meditation practice has recently flourished, the mechanisms that might engender such changes are still poorly understood. Here, we present a motivational framework to explain why meditation training should increase concern for others and modulate empathic engagement with human suffering over time. Meditation practices are conceived as tools for enacting cognitive and emotion regulatory goals that are conditioned by the underlying ethical motivation of the training--to reduce and alleviate suffering. In support of this account, we present data from a randomized, wait-list-controlled study of intensive meditation. In Study 1, we use a novel cardiovascular index to show that 3 months of meditation training can increase the motivational salience of others' suffering, as compared to the salience of threats to oneself. In Study 2, we demonstrate that training-related changes in the ability to orient attention to suffering are mediated by the dynamic regulation of distress-related physiological arousal. Finally, in Study 3, we provide exploratory evidence suggesting that meditation training may influence how human suffering is encoded in memory, leaving lasting imprints on the recollection of emotional experience. Together, our findings suggest that meditation training can strengthen the motivational relevance of others'suffering, prompting a shift from self-focused to other-focused evaluative processing. Considering meditation training from a motivational standpoint offers an important perspective for understanding how compassion can be cultivated through intentional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep is especially important for emotional memories, although the mechanisms for prioritizing emotional content are insufficiently known. As during waking, emotional processing during sleep may be hemispherically asymmetric; right-lateralized rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep theta (~4–7 Hz) is reportedly associated with emotional memory retention. No research exists on lateralized non-REM sleep oscillations. However, sleep spindles, especially when coupled with slow oscillations (SOs), facilitate off-line memory consolidation. Our primary goal was to examine how the lateralization (right-to-left contrast) of REM theta, sleep spindles, and SO-spindle coupling is associated with overnight recognition memory in a task consisting of neutral and emotionally aversive pictures. Thirty-two healthy adults encoded 150 target pictures before overnight sleep. The recognition of target pictures among foils (discriminability, d') was tested immediately, 12 hours, and 24 hours after encoding. Recognition discriminability between targets and foils was similar for neutral and emotional pictures in immediate and 12-h retrievals. After 24 hours, emotional pictures were less accurately discriminated (p < 0.001). Emotional difference at 24-h retrieval was associated with right-to-left contrast in frontal fast spindle density (p < 0.001). The lateralization of SO-spindle coupling was associated with higher neutral versus emotional difference across all retrievals (p = 0.004). Our findings contribute to a largely unstudied area in sleep-related memory research. Hemispheric asymmetry in non-REM sleep oscillations may contribute to how neutral versus emotional information is processed. This is presumably underlain by both mechanistic offline memory consolidation and a trait-like cognitive/affective bias that influences memory encoding and retrieval. Methodological choices and participants' affective traits are likely involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elucidating the effects of negative emotion on eyewitness memory is an important part of understanding how witnesses remember and report criminal events. Extant research in this area has been inconsistent in its methodology and conclusions, thus warranting further empirical investigation. In the current experiment, participants (N = 204) viewed either a Negative or Neutral version of a video of a staged social interaction and had their memory assessed either immediately or 1 week later. Memory assessment consisted of both recall and recognition (lineup identification) components. The Negative video group showed enhanced recall for some aspects of the video compared to the Neutral group, but no enhancement (or impairment) of lineup identification performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic restraint stress induces anxiety‐like behaviors and emotional abnormalities via an alteration of synaptic remodeling in the amygdala and the hippocampus. Given that the date palm spathe has been shown to have neuroprotective effects on different experimental models, this study aimed to address whether the date palm spathe extract (hydroalcoholic extract of date palm spathe [HEDPP]) can reduce chronic restraint stress‐induced behavioral, electrophysiological, and morphological changes in the rat model. Thirty‐two male Wistar rats (weight 200–220 g) were randomly divided into control, stress, HEDPP, and stress + HEDPP for 14 days. Animals were submitted to restraint stress for 2 h per day for 14 consecutive days. The animals of the HEDPP and stress + HEDPP groups were supplemented with HEDPP (125 mg/kg) during these 14 days, 30 min before being placed in the restraint stress tube. We used passive avoidance, open‐field test, and field potential recording to assess emotional memory, anxiety‐like behavioral and long‐term potentiation in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, respectively. Moreover, Golgi–Cox staining was used to investigate the amygdala neuron dendritic arborization. Results showed that stress induction was associated with behavioral changes (anxiety‐like behavioral and emotional memory impairment), and the administration of HEDPP effectively normalized these deficits. HEDPP remarkably amplified the slope and amplitude of mean‐field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in the CA1 area of the hippocampus in stressed rats. Chronic restraint stress significantly decreased the dendritic arborization in the central and basolateral nucleus of the amygdala neuron. HEDPP suppressed this stress effect in the central nucleus of the amygdala. Our findings indicated that HEDPP administration improves stress‐induced learning impairment and memory and anxiety‐like behaviors by preventing adverse effects on synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus and amygdala. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate a potential all-year vulnerability of people with seasonal mood fluctuations. We compared behavioral and neurophysiological responses to emotional stimuli in summer between people who report seasonal symptoms in winter and those who do not. EEG was recorded in summer from 119 participants while they memorized 60 emotional pictures, balanced for valence and arousal. The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire was used to determine seasonal symptoms. EEG power was analyzed in the alpha and gamma frequency bands and in early (50–150 ms) and late (300–400 ms) time-windows over frontal, temporal, and occipital sites. Positive pictures were more frequently recalled than negative and neutral pictures, and negative pictures were more frequently recalled than neutral pictures (p < 0.001), but memory performance did not interact with seasonality. EEG power was overall higher in participants without elevated levels of seasonal symptoms (p = 0.043). This group difference interacted with emotional valence (p = 0.037), region of interest (p = 0.003), hemispheric differences (p = 0.027), frequency band (0.032), and time-window (0.018). This differential pattern of activation while viewing emotional pictures suggests a difference in emotional processing between the groups. The absence of behavioral effects but presence of differences in EEG activity suggests an all-year-long difference in processing of emotional contents in people who experience seasonal symptoms in winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the work. Highlight and characterise the identifier of the stage action, its specific diversity in the process of the artist's creation of the score of the image of the role in accordance with the personification of the dramatic work, taking into account all the characteristic signs of ideological-emotional verbal and physical expressiveness. The research methodology consists in the application of the functional method to consider the complementarity of verbal and stage action, physical correspondence of posture and gesture, general plasticity of body culture, levels of creative potential, categories of psychophysical action; the art method for understanding the interpretation of the image of a character in a dramatic work in the process of creating stage role-playing material by the performer on the basis of a creative reinterpretation of a number of events, implementing various options for the transformation of extra-artistic facts with the help of one's own emotional memory; a systematic method for revealing and understanding the essence of the mechanism of formation of the general picture of the image of the role in the process of stage action, a set of rehearsals, creativity of the individual performer; analytical method for the analysis of the characteristic features of the formula of the visual-spectacle model of the performance, the classification reference point of certain stage actions according to the genre plan of the performance. The novelty of the research consists in considering the procedural essence of the artist's creative activity, a consistent analysis of the comparability of the stage action and the dramaturgical series of events, the justification of the main means and ways of expressiveness of acting. Conclusions. An actor is an imaginative and creative substance of the formation of theatrical art, the main category of which is directly the stage action, the essentiality of which is determined by dramatic circumstances, quality, relationships, relationships between characters, a series of events, space-time dimension and possession of the inherent properties of the artistic image of the role. The artistic creativity of the masters of the stage spectacle as a living organism exists thanks to new ideas of interpretation of the score, implementation of the idea of the performance and original modern embodiment, and a priori cannot exist without the latest techniques and methods of artistic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The potential antidepressant properties of probiotics have been suggested, but their influence on the emotional processes that may underlie this effect is unclear. Methods: Depressed volunteers (n = 71) were recruited into a randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled study to explore the effects of a daily, 4-week intake of a multispecies probiotic or placebo on emotional processing and cognition. Mood, anxiety, positive and negative affect, sleep, salivary cortisol and serum C-reactive peptide (CRP) were assessed before and after supplementation. Results: Compared with placebo, probiotic intake increased accuracy at identifying faces expressing all emotions (+12%, p < 0.05, total n = 51) and vigilance to neutral faces (mean difference between groups = 12.28 ms ± 6.1, p < 0.05, total n = 51). Probiotic supplementation also reduced reward learning (−9%, p < 0.05, total n = 51), and interference word recall on the auditory verbal learning task (−18%, p < 0.05, total n = 50), but did not affect other aspects of cognitive performance. Although actigraphy revealed a significant group × night-time activity interaction, follow up analysis was not significant (p = 0.094). Supplementation did not alter salivary cortisol or circulating CRP concentrations. Probiotic intake significantly reduced (−50% from baseline, p < 0.05, n = 35) depression scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, but these did not correlate with the changes in emotional processing. Conclusions: The impartiality to positive and negative emotional stimuli or reward after probiotic supplementation have not been observed with conventional antidepressant therapies. Further studies are required to elucidate the significance of these changes with regard to the mood-improving action of the current probiotic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sex differences in Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression provide clues to pathogenesis and better patient management. We examined sex differences in emotional memory among AD patients, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients, and healthy controls (HCs) as well as potential associations with altered regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Methods: The recognition memory task with emotional pictures was applied to evaluate enhancement of emotional memory (EEM) and 3D pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling MRI was performed to measure the rCBF in 74 AD patients (41 females), 74 aMCI patients (45 females), and 74 HCs (43 females). Group differences in EEM were tested by two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with repeated measures. The main effects of clinical group and sex as well as group × sex interactions on rCBF were assessed by two-way ANCOVA. Correlation analyses were conducted to investigate associations between EEM and rCBF. Results: With disease progression, EEM gradually disappeared. Among aMCI patients, females exhibited a greater index of recollection (Pr) for positive/high-arousal and negative/low-arousal pictures versus neutral pictures (P = 0.005, P = 0.003), while males exhibited a greater Pr for negative/high-arousal versus neutral pictures (P = 0.001). There were significant sex × group effects on rCBF in left inferior parietal, supramarginal, superior temporal and middle temporal gyri, and rCBF of left inferior parietal gyrus was correlated with Pr for positive/high-arousal pictures among female aMCI patients (r = 0.584, q = 0.005). Conclusion: Males and females exhibit distinct changes in EEM associated with altered rCBF, which should be considered in future neuroimaging studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mnemonic discrimination is the process of separating similar but distinct experiences and memories in the brain. This process seems to be differently modulated by retention periods that included sleep or only wakefulness. The current study was designed to explore whether a night of sleep may modulate emotional mnemonic discrimination. Thirty-eight participants performed the encoding phase of an emotional mnemonic similarity task composed of 48 negative, 48 neutral, and 48 positive pictures at 9 am (Wake group) or 9 pm (Sleep group). The encoding was followed by an immediate test (T1) in which participants were exposed to 36 targets (old), 36 foils (new), and 36 lures (similar) pictures, and they had to decide whether the pictures were old, new, or similar. Twelve hours later, they performed a delayed test (T2), similar to T1 but with different stimuli. Overall, performances decreased from T1 to T2. There were no differences between groups for recognition memories, whereas the reduction in mnemonic discrimination was more pronounced in the Wake group. Moreover, negative pictures were better discriminated that the neutral and positive ones. In conclusion, the current study showed that a night of sleep can stabilize mnemonic discrimination, regardless of the valence of the encoded stimuli, suggesting that sleep may not preferentially process emotional information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With rapid aging of the population worldwide, the number of people with dementia is dramatically increasing. Some studies have emphasized that metabolic syndrome, which includes obesity and diabetes, leads to increased risks of dementia and cognitive decline. Factors such as insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and central obesity in metabolic syndrome are associated with synaptic failure, neuroinflammation, and imbalanced neurotransmitter levels, leading to the progression of dementia. Due to the positive correlation between diabetes and dementia, some studies have called it “type 3 diabetes”. Recently, the number of patients with cognitive decline due to metabolic imbalances has considerably increased. In addition, recent studies have reported that neuropsychiatric issues such as anxiety, depressive behavior, and impaired attention are common factors in patients with metabolic disease and those with dementia. In the central nervous system (CNS), the amygdala is a central region that regulates emotional memory, mood disorders, anxiety, attention, and cognitive function. The connectivity of the amygdala with other brain regions, such as the hippocampus, and the activity of the amygdala contribute to diverse neuropathological and neuropsychiatric issues. Thus, this review summarizes the significant consequences of the critical roles of amygdala connectivity in both metabolic syndromes and dementia. Further studies on amygdala function in metabolic imbalance-related dementia are needed to treat neuropsychiatric problems in patients with this type of dementia.

How do we remember emotional events? While emotion often leads to vivid recollection, the precision of emotional memories can be degraded, especially when discriminating among overlapping experiences in memory (i.e., pattern separation). Communication between the amygdala and the hippocampus has been proposed to support emotional memory, but the exact neural mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we used intracranial recordings in pre-surgical epilepsy patients to show that successful pattern separation of emotional stimuli is associated with theta band (3-7 Hz)-coordinated bidirectional interactions between the amygdala and the hippocampus. In contrast, discrimination errors (i.e., failure to discriminate similar stimuli) were associated with alpha band (7-13 Hz)-coordinated unidirectional influence from the amygdala to the hippocampus. These findings imply that alpha band synchrony may impair discrimination of similar emotional events via the amygdala-hippocampal directional coupling, which suggests a target for treatments of psychiatric conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, in which aversive experiences are often overgeneralized.

Exercise may change emotional memory, which is associated with the induction of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. This effect of exercise may be influenced by exercise-induced cortisol release. Depending on sex, cortisol exerts differential effects on emotional memory consolidation. However, whether acute exercise and exercise-induced cortisol release have sex-dependent effects on emotional memory has not been established. Therefore, first, we aimed to determine the effects of acute exercise on emotional memory, separately for men and women, in a within-subjects design. Second, we aimed to examine whether the effects of acute exercise on emotional memory are related to the effects of exercise-induced cortisol release, separately for men and women. Sixteen healthy men and 15 healthy women were presented with positive and negative emotional images, followed by either rest or a vigorous-intensity cycling exercise condition using a within-subjects design on separate days. Salivary cortisol was measured before presenting the emotional images presentation and 20 min after each intervention. Emotional memory was assessed two days later. Vigorous-intensity exercise decreased emotional memory in women, whereas there was no change in men after rest or exercise. Cortisol levels increased after exercise intervention in both men and women, although there was no association between cortisol levels and emotional memory. These findings demonstrate that the effect of a single bout of vigorous-intensity exercise on emotional memory differs between men and women and is associated with decreased emotional memory in women.

Objective:To investigate the impact of childhood abuse experiences on college students’ emotional memory.Methods:The Chinese version of the Childhood Abuse Questionnaire was used to screen out 23 cases of emotional abuse with neglect group,21 cases of physical abuse with neglect group,and 24 cases of control group among college students.Experiment 1 used a 3 × 3 mixed experimental design;Experiment 2 used a 3 x 5 mixed experimental design.Results:Taking the correct rate of emotional memory as an indicator,the main effect of valence in experiment 1 was statistically significant（P <0.001）,and negative pictures were higher than positive pictures and neutral pictures（Ps <0.001）.The main effect of group was statistically significant（P <0.05）,the control group was higher than the two abuse groups（Ps <0.05）,the difference between the two abuse groups was not statistically significant（P>0.05）.The main effect of picture type in experiment 2 was statistically significant（P <0.001）,and the negative low arousal pictures were higher than other types of pictures（Ps <0.001）.The main effect of group was statistically significant（P <0.05）,the control group was higher than the two abuse groups（Ps<0.05）,and the difference between the two abuse groups was not statistically significant（P>0.05）.Conclusion:College students show an emotional memory-enhancing effect on negative low-arousal pictures,childhood abuse experience weakened emotional memory,and there is no difference in emotional memory performance among different abused subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated cognition in depersonalization-spectrum dissociative disorders without comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder to explore evidence for emotionally avoidant information processing. Forty-eight participants with DSM-IV dissociative disorder (DD) (Depersonalization Disorder – 37, Dissociative Disorder NOS −11), 36 participants with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and 56 healthy controls (HC) were administered the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS); the Weschler Memory Scale-III (WMS); and three Stroop tasks: the Standard Stroop, a selective-attention Emotional Stroop using neutral, dissociation, and trauma-related word categories, and a divided-attention Emotional Stroop using comparable words. Participants were also administered a paired-associates explicit and implicit memory test using emotionally neutral and negative words, before and after the Trier Social Stress Test. The DD and HC groups had comparable general intelligence and memory scores, though dissociation severity was inversely related to verbal comprehension and working memory. In the selective-attention condition, DD participants showed greater incidental recall across word categories with comparable interference. However in the divided-attention condition, DD participants significantly favored lesser attentional interference at the expense of remembering words. Across attentional conditions, DD participants had better recall for disorder-related than neutral words. Pre-stress, the DD group demonstrated better explicit memory for neutral versus negative words with reversal after stress, whereas the HC group demonstrated the opposite pattern; implicit memory did not differ. Cognition in the PTSD control group was generally dissimilar to the DD group. The findings in toto provide substantial evidence for emotionally avoidant information processing in DD, vulnerable to the impact of stress, at the level of both attention and memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that memory is influenced by emotion. Several studies demonstrated the effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to modulate emotional memory pursuing clinical and educational aims. Music has been identified as a potential memory modulator, with results differing widely depending on whether the participant had musical training or not. The current study examined the effect of listening to music on musicians' and non-musicians' positive (study 1) and negative (study 2) emotional memory, in a group of 163 volunteers, aged 18–40. After the information was encoded, the groups of participants were exposed to arousing music (Symphony No. 70, D major by Joseph Haydn) or a control stimulus (white noise) for three minutes. Then memory was evaluated through free recall and recognition (immediate and deferred measures). Memory performance was compared between musicians (people with five or more years of music education) and non-musicians. Positive and negative images were better recalled than neutral ones, positive images were better recognized than neutral ones however neutral images were better recognized than negative ones. In Study 1, listening to white noise enhanced recall compared to listening to music. In Study 2, listening to arousing music enhanced recall compared to listening to white noise, and this effect was more pronounced in musicians than non-musicians. Our findings suggest that music has a great impact on memory, especially in those with experience in the field, which is reflected in cognitive performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments demonstrating post-reactivation amnesia for learned fear in animals have generated a novel and influential hypothesis on the plasticity of memory, usually referred to as memory reconsolidation. The clinical potential of pharmacologically disrupting the process of memory reconsolidation has sparked a wave of interest into whether this phenomenon can also be demonstrated in humans, and ultimately harnessed for therapeutic purposes. In this essay we outline how the work of Karim Nader and colleagues has moved the field forward from a focus on extinction learning to the prospect of disrupting memory reconsolidation. We then review some promising findings on the necessary conditions, as well as potential boundary conditions, of pharmacologically disrupting the process of memory reconsolidation obtained in our laboratory. Even though laboratory experiments in animals and humans suggest that we may be at the brink of a breakthrough in fundamentally changing emotional memories, the necessary and sufficient conditions for targeting and disrupting memory reconsolidation in clinical practice are largely unknown. There is likely no universally effective reactivation procedure for triggering the reconsolidation of clinically significant emotional memories, and the impact of subtle boundary conditions observed in basic experiments compounds this issue. Notwithstanding these challenges, the discovery of changing emotional memory through disrupting the process of memory reconsolidation has unquestionably invigorated the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Faculty of Pharmacy of Ankara University / Ankara Üniversitesi Eczacilik Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Ankara University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Summary: Sleep has a beneficial effect on memory consolidation. However, its role in emotional memory is currently debated. Here, we investigate the role of sleep and a similar period of wakefulness on the recognition of emotional pictures and subjective emotional reactivity. Forty participants without any major physical, neurological or psychological condition were randomly assigned to the Sleep First Group or Wake First Group. The two groups underwent the encoding phase of an emotional images task with negative and neutral pictures at either 09:00 hours (Wake First Group) or 21:00 hours (Sleep First Group). Then participants performed an immediate recognition test (T1), and two delayed tests 12 hr (T2) and 24 hr (T3) later. Perceived arousal and valence levels were collected for each picture. Sleep parameters were recorded at participants' homes with a portable device. No differences were observed at T1, whereas at T2 the Sleep First Group showed a higher memory performance than the Wake First Group. At T3, performance decreased in the Sleep First Group (who spent the previous 12 hr awake), but not in the Wake First Group (who slept during the previous 12 hr). Overall, negative images were remembered better than neutral ones. We also observed a positive association between memory performance for negative items at the immediate test and the percentage of rapid eye movement sleep the night before the encoding. Our data confirm that negative information is remembered better over time than neutral information, and that sleep benefits the retention of declarative information. However, sleep seems not to preferentially improve emotional memory, although it may affect the encoding of negative information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Somatization symptoms are associated with emotional memory in adolescents with depressive disorders. • Somatization symptoms in adolescent depression are associated with the superior occipital gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus. • Superior occipital, middle occipital and inferior temporal gyrus may be the brain regions acting on the memory bias of adolescent depressive disorder patients. Studies have revealed that somatization symptoms are associated with emotional memory in adolescents with depressive disorders. This study investigated somatization symptoms and emotional memory among adolescents with depressive disorders using low-frequency amplitude fluctuations (ALFF). Participants were categorized into the somatization symptoms (FSS) group, non-FSS group and healthy control group (HC). The correctness of negative picture re-recognition was higher in the FFS and HC group than in the non-FSS group. The right superior occipital gyrus and right inferior temporal gyrus were significantly larger in the FSS group than those in the non-FSS and HC groups. Additionally, the ALFF in the superior occipital and inferior temporal gyrus were positively correlated with CSI score. Furthermore, the ALFF values in the temporal region positively correlated with correct negative image re-recognition. The negative image re-recognition rate was positively correlated with the ALFF in the left and right middle occipital gyri. These findings indicated that somatization symptoms in adolescent depression are associated with the superior occipital gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus. Notably, somatization symptoms play a role in memory bias within depressive disorders, with middle occipital and inferior temporal gyri potentially serving as significant brain regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), fear and anxiety become dysregulated following psychologically traumatic events. Regulation of fear and anxiety involves both high-level cognitive processes such as cognitive reattribution and low-level, partially automatic memory processes such as fear extinction, safety learning and habituation. These latter processes are believed to be deficient in PTSD. While insomnia and nightmares are characteristic symptoms of existing PTSD, abundant recent evidence suggests that sleep disruption prior to and acute sleep disturbance following traumatic events both can predispose an individual to develop PTSD. Sleep promotes consolidation in multiple memory systems and is believed to also do so for low-level emotion-regulatory memory processes. Consequently sleep disruption may contribute to the etiology of PTSD by interfering with consolidation in low-level emotion-regulatory memory systems. During the first weeks following a traumatic event, when in the course of everyday life resilient individuals begin to acquire and consolidate these low-level emotion-regulatory memories, those who will develop PTSD symptoms may fail to do so. This deficit may, in part, result from alterations of sleep that interfere with their consolidation, such as REM fragmentation, that have also been found to presage later PTSD symptoms. Here, sleep disruption in PTSD as well as fear extinction, safety learning and habituation and their known alterations in PTSD are first briefly reviewed. Then neural processes that occur during the early post-trauma period that might impede low-level emotion regulatory processes through alterations of sleep quality and physiology will be considered. Lastly, recent neuroimaging evidence from a fear conditioning and extinction paradigm in patient groups and their controls will be considered along with one possible neural process that may contribute to a vulnerability to PTSD following trauma.

The article examines the phenomenon of emotional memory of a person, which is understood as the memory of emotional states that took place in the past. A significant link has been established between emotional memory and protective mechanisms in young people, with protective mechanisms processing memories of both the distant and recent past in inverse proportion. It is noted that the "pleasant" in content, strongly emotionally colored events of the distant past in young people are reproduced proportionately in the opposite direction with such protective mechanisms as "regression", "denial", "projection", the work of these protective mechanisms, but in different ways. aimed at eliminating events that could in any way disrupt or damage the work of the psyche. It has been determined that young people's memories, which are classified as "new" in terms of content, both old and recent, are related to the protective mechanisms of "displacement" and "rationalization". The authors point out that "displacement" combines "new" information immediately with existing or displaces it if it poses a threat to the individual's psyche.

Background: In this three-part study, we investigate whether the associations between binge and problematic drinking patterns with a negative emotional memory bias (NMB) are indirectly related through coping motivations and depressive symptoms. We also address potential sex differences in these relations. Methods: Participants (N = 293) completed the Timeline Followback to assess binge drinking, the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) to assess problematic alcohol use, the Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised to assess coping motivations, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21 to assess depression. Participants were asked to identify whether 30 emotional sentences were self-referent or not in an incidental encoding task; 24 h later they were asked to recall as many sentences as possible and a negative memory bias score was calculated. Results: Across all three studies, we found significant bivariate relations between AUDIT scores, coping, depression, and an NMB, particularly for sentences participants deemed self-referent. In two undergraduate samples, there were significant indirect effects through coping motivations and depressive symptoms between binge drinking and an NMB in females as well as between AUDIT scores and an NMB in females only. In the community sample, there was only an indirect effect through coping motives, but this was observed in both females and males. Conclusion: These findings support a relation between binge drinking as well as problematic alcohol use and a self-referent NMB in the context of coping motivations for alcohol use and depressive symptoms. Moreover, the pattern of findings suggests this model primarily holds for females, yet may also apply to males at higher levels of problematic alcohol use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the current research is to reveal the correlation between cognitive failure and each of emotional memory and academic boredom, in addition to revealing the relative contribution of both emotional memory and academic boredom in predicting cognitive failure among university students, and the research sample consisted of (300) male and female students of fourth grade in the faculty of education in 2021-2022, helwan university, and the researcher used the following tools: the emotional memory scale, the academic boredom scale, and the cognitive failure scale, Pearson's simple correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis were used to verify the study's hypotheses, and the research results concluded that there is a negative statistically significant correlation between emotional memory and cognitive failure, also found a positive, statistically significant correlation between academic boredom and cognitive failure, and that students' scores on the cognitive failure scale can be predicted through the total score of both emotional memory and academic boredom; As (the total score of emotional memory - the total score of academic boredom) explains about 49% of the total variance of the performance of the research sample individuals on the cognitive failure scale as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The impact of migraine without aura (MWoA) on cognitive function remains controversial, especially given the sparse literature on emotional memory. Methods: Twenty seven MWoA patients and 25 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Emotional memory behavior was evaluated by combining incidental encoding with intentional encoding of five emotional categories of visual stimulus [positive valence + high arousal (PH), negative valence + high arousal (NH), positive valence + low arousal (PL), negative valence + low arousal (NL), and neutral (N)]. The recollection performance (Pr) was measured and compared. Then, the neural relevance was explored by correlating the Pr with gray matter volume (GMV) and resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) based on structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results: No significant differences in recollection performance or emotional enhancement of memory effect were observed. However, MWoA patients were more sensitive to the valence and arousal of emotional stimuli under incidental encoding. Significantly, the Pr-PH under incidental encoding and Pr-PL under intentional encoding were negatively correlated with the GMV of the left precuneus, and the rs-FC between the left precuneus and putamen was positively correlated with Pr-PL under intentional encoding in MWoA patients. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated the tendency for the influence of migraine on emotional memory and revealed the left precuneus as a critical contributor to recollection performance, providing novel insights for understanding emotional memory and its neural mechanisms in MWoA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power of episodic memories is that they bring a past moment into the present, providing opportunities for us to recall details of the experiences, reframe or update the memory, and use the retrieved information to guide our decisions. In these regards, negative and positive memories can be especially powerful: Life's highs and lows are disproportionately represented in memory, and when they are retrieved, they often impact our current mood and thoughts and influence various forms of behavior. Research rooted in neuroscience and cognitive psychology has historically focused on memory for negative emotional content. Yet the study of autobiographical memories has highlighted the importance of positive emotional memories, and more recently, cognitive neuroscience methods have begun to clarify why positive memories may show powerful relations to mental wellbeing. Here, we review the models that have been proposed to explain why emotional memories are long-lasting (durable) and likely to be retrieved (accessible), describing how in overlapping—but distinctly separable—ways, positive and negative memories can be easier to retrieve, and more likely to influence behavior. We end by identifying potential implications of this literature for broader topics related to mental wellbeing, education, and workplace environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Revista Interamericana de Psicología is the property of Sociedad Interamericana de Psicologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)